We loaned our 1989 730sl Volvo to our Daughter and son in law last fall. It worked fine when we drove it to Minnesota.Six months later we went to pick it up. Our son in law had just had the oil changed and filled with fuel, and he says it keeps quitting on me. So I’m thinking bad fuel…we’ll get it running an limp home 370 miles,(right!) after 10 stalls and 20 miles later, I thought this is WRONG cannot do this. So the volvo has set through the winter in Minnesota, (while visiting 4 or 5 times, we have put HEET and additives and stuff into the gas tank, hopeing to get rid of water in the tank, if that was the problem. Just last week while we were there, we charged the battery and it started right up and let it run for almost 30 minutes, shut it off and let it set and started it again, then it quit, and then it started and again and again. We drove it for a short distance and it stalled again. My husband says it quits like the switch it turned off, but while I was trying to drive it home last fall, I felt it start to stall and pumped the gas pedal and it seemed to run longer …help…
It could be several things. But I would start with the old fuel, spark, and air. The computer may be at fault but you need to test the car when it fails. Since it seems to do so easily find a trusted local mechanic and have them test the failure.
I think you mean 740, 760, or 780, correct? I don’t think there is a 730, and the suggestions you get will be somewhat dependent on the model.
It sounds like it is probably a fuel delivery problem, but we don’t have enough good evidence to rule out a spark problem yet.
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Fuel pump relay. If it is wired like a 240, you can bypass the fuel pump relay by jumping between the two fuel pump fuses with a paper clip. If the car starts and runs, the problem is the relay or the ignition module which provides a ground to the fuel pump relay.
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If it is a spark problem, the most likely candidate will be the ignition pickup in the distributor, or more precisely, the wires that go to that ignition pickup may be loosing their insulation and shorting out.
Does this car have a single fuse in a fuse holder under the hood, driver side above the inner fender? Take it out of its holder and clean the fuse and the holder. If the wires are in bad shape, cut out the fuse holder and put in a new waterproof fuse holder.
Oh so right…The Volvo is a 740 gle. Thanks so much we will give it a try when we visit next week.